All I Want for Christmas
by fyd818
Summary: Business trips, blizzards, four excited children, two hyperactive dogs, and four frazzled adults - what could possibly go wrong? :Gaara x Hinata, Neji x Tenten:
1. Baby, It's Cold Outside

Disclaimer: I don't own _Naruto_, nor any places, things, characters, nor ideas therein. The aforementioned belong to Masashi Kishimoto, Viz Media, Shounen Jump, TV Tokyo, etc. I am writing this fic for entertainment purposes _only_, not monetary gain.

Summary: Business trips, blizzards, four excited children, two hyperactive dogs, and four frazzled adults - what could possibly go wrong? :Gaara x Hinata, Neji x Tenten:

Rating: T

Warning(s): A soft lime later in the story, and one slightly dangerous situation

Pairing(s): Gaara/Hinata, Neji/Tenten

Spoilers: None

Universe: AU

Part: 1/7

Fic Title Song: _All I Want For Christmas (Is You)_ by Mariah Carey

Chapter Title Song: _Baby, It's Cold Outside_ by Vanessa Williams

**Author's Note:** I had so much fun writing a Christmas story last year, I knew I wanted to do one again this year! This time my _favorite_ Hinata pairing, GaaHina, is involved, whereas last year's was SasuHina (my second-favorite Hinata pairing, but not as much as GaaHina). And I get to do half the story also focused on my all-time favorite _Naruto_ pairing - NejiTen! I actually started out something similar to this three years ago, but never finished it. I dragged it out this year, blew off the dust, changed it up (quite) a bit, and here it is! Each chapter title will be the name of a song, which has a bit to do with the content of the chapter. I'll list each song and its artist (some are done by multiple artists, but I always list my favorite version) at the beginning of each chapter. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>*~All I Want for Christmas~*<strong>

_.:fyd818:._

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><p><strong>*~Chapter I~*<strong>

_~Baby, It's Cold Outside~_

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><p>"Mama, Mama, it's snowing!"<p>

Sabaku Hinata jolted to full wakefulness, her pale eyes snapping open in the semidarkness of her room. "_What_?" For as long as she'd lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico (going on seven years now), she hadn't seen a single flake of snow. As far as she knew, the weather forecast didn't show any snow for this Christmas, either, just like for the past several years.

So why in the world did her five-year-old twins think it was snowing?

Hiashi, older than Hoshi by exactly thirteen minutes, flopped on the bed on his mother's left, in the vacant spot usually occupied by his father. "It's snowing in Denver!" he exclaimed.

Hoshi clambered onto the bed and snuggled up against her mother's right side. "And in New York!" she added with a squeal. Her own pale eyes, tinged with a soft mint green, widened. "What about Papa?"

Wiggling her arms free of the blankets, Hinata reached past her daughter to pick up her phone off the nightstand. Waking the screen, she squinted at the time - seven-fifteen (she overslept!) - and made sure she didn't have any missed calls. "Papa hasn't called, sweetie. I'm sure everything's going just as planned."

Poking out his lower lip, Hiashi crossed his arms over his skinny chest. "So he's still gonna meet us at Uncle Neji and Aunt Tenten's house?" he challenged.

Sitting up, Hinata ran her hand through her long, tangled dark hair and gently nudged Hoshi until she moved out of the way. "His plane will probably be taking off in a few minutes, as a matter of fact." This was the closest to Christmas Gaara had had to take a business trip in the entire seven years they'd been married, but Hinata had reassured herself he'd be coming back on December 23rd; plenty of time for Christmas. He would fly into Denver's airport, since it was closest to Neji and Tenten's house; Hinata would drive herself and the twins up to meet him there.

After sending her progeny back to the kitchen to wait for her, Hinata quickly went through her morning routine, glad she had packed her own bags and the twins' the night before. Now all she'd have to do was throw in the last-minute things like makeup and toothbrushes, and then they could leave. She couldn't imagine trying to pack everything this morning, especially since she accidentally overslept.

Pulling her hair back into a ponytail as she left her bedroom, Hinata nearly tripped over Suna, the family's Shiba Inu, whose name was thanks to the golden color of his coat. Wagging his tail happily, the little dog followed her to the kitchen, pouting when she didn't head straight for his food bowl.

"You ate last night," she told him. "We're going on a trip, and you know you get carsick if you eat anything before we go."

Suna's tail drooped, and he went to lie in his doggie bed next to the fireplace in the living room to pout.

Rolling her eyes at the dog's dramatics (she could _swear_ he'd learned to pout from the twins), Hinata ruffled her son's hair as she kissed the top of her daughter's head. "What do you munchkins want for breakfast?" she asked.

As she obligingly poured cereal into bowls while simultaneously starting some toast for herself, Hinata turned her attention to the little television in the corner. The twins had already turned it on to the weather channel, where the national forecast currently showed.

Hinata cringed as she poured milk into Hoshi's bowl, not even smiling at the trademark _snap! crackle! pop!_ she tended to giggle at with her daughter. Apparently it had already been snowing in New York all night, thanks to a surprise storm which had blown in from the northwest. It had also started snowing in Denver. Hinata winced at the realization she and the twins would be arriving right about the time it would turn from flurries and snow showers to a full-out storm.

"Okay, boys and girls," she said, plopping a bowl in front of each twin. "I need you to eat fast, okay? We need to get on the road as soon as possible."

She was just about to butter her hot toast when her phone rang. A glance at the caller ID made her stomach cramp when she saw Gaara's name, especially since she knew his flight was supposed to leave in less than half an hour. "Hello?" She stepped out of the kitchen, and the sound of the television and the twins' excited chattering dropped considerably.

"Hinata." Gaara's voice sounded raspier than usual, and her name came across the line on a long sigh. "I'm at the airport. But I have bad news."

Closing her eyes, Hinata immediately started shaking her head. "No," she moaned. "Don't tell me, don't tell me-"

"They've canceled my flight." Gaara paused a moment as an announcement sounded on his side, though Hinata couldn't make out the words. "Though it's still snowing here, it's slacked off enough that they were able to clear off the runways enough to get some planes in the air, with delays. But my flight would be landing in Denver right about the time a big snowstorm hits, so they've canceled the flight. I asked at the desk, but the woman there told me she didn't know if they'd be able to get any flights out tomorrow, either, and they won't be able to make a final decision anyway until in the morning, and they see how bad things are."

Hinata felt her shoulders slump. Her eyes dropped closed as she sagged against the wall next to the swinging door into the kitchen. "So there's a chance you might be able to fly in tomorrow?" she asked hopefully. It would be Christmas Eve and cutting things very close, but Gaara would still be there for Christmas morning. They wouldn't have to miss spending the holiday together, though a lot of their Christmas Eve traditions would probably have to go by the wayside.

Gaara was silent a little too long for Hinata's peace of mind. "To be honest, I'm not that hopeful. We're in a little gap in the storm here right now, but around five this afternoon it's supposed to pick up again. And if it snows all night tonight like it did last night..." He trailed off with another tired sigh. "Not to mention the fact Denver's supposed to be having a big snowstorm, too. It wasn't so bad before the surprise storm, because my plane would have taken off here in time for it to land there before the worst of it hit. But now, it looks like there's just no way."

"What about another flight?" Hinata grabbed on to the thought and clung to it with both hands. "What about if you fly in somewhere else, still close? Like maybe Colorado Springs? It's not supposed to get as bad there." She'd seen that much of the weather report, anyway, before Gaara called.

"I'm still checking into alternate options, but it's not looking promising. This close to Christmas, everyone and their brother's cousin's enemies are flying out to see family. So many flights are already full, but I'm going to hunker down here at the airport and hope a seat on an alternate flight pops up." Gaara went quiet for a few moments as another announcement came on the loudspeaker. Then, quietly, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Hinata."

She closed her eyes against the prickling feeling at the back of her eyes. "It's not your fault," she whispered. "You needed to be there."

"That may be so, but I need to be _there_, too," he replied. "Listen, sweetheart: someway, somehow, I'll find a way. I _will_ be there for Christmas, okay?"

Hinata bit her lower lip. "Don't do anything dangerous," she cautioned.

"I won't," he promised. "Don't you do anything dangerous either, okay? You and the twins will probably get to Neji and Tenten's right about the same time the storm really fires up."

"We'll be careful, I promise." Hinata opened her eyes and pushed away from the wall, ready to put on a happy face for the twins. "I love you, Gaara."

"I love you, too. Don't lose hope, Hinata. I'll be there." Gaara hung up.

Pressing her phone against her chest, Hinata let out a long breath and tried not to think about how hopeless the prospects really were for Gaara actually finding a flight in time for Christmas.

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><p>Christmas really was Hyuuga Tenten's favorite time of year. With carols playing on the radio twenty-fourseven, lights and decorations everywhere she looked, and big, fluffy white flakes falling from the sky, it made her feel like a little kid again and again. It never got old.

Humming along to _Baby, It's Cold Outside_, Tenten smiled as she tweaked the shiny silver bow on one of the presents already under the tree. The number would double when Gaara, Hinata, and their twins arrived. Plus then they'd have two dogs to try to keep away, instead of just one.

Across the room, the Hyuuga family dog - a rescued Belgian Malinois/boxer mix named Konoha - lay with her head on her paws, staring at the tree with a longing expression. She knew one of those brightly wrapped gifts was hers, and Tenten could see her doggie brain ticking away with a plan behind her big, sad brown eyes.

"Don't even think about it, girl," Tenten muttered. She and Neji had put Konoha's new squeaky toys in a big bag at the very back of the tree to make sure she couldn't get to it, though the dog had tried a few times. Her abnormally high intelligence meant she didn't give up easily - and she _loved_ solving puzzles.

Christmas usually gave her the biggest ones of the whole year.

"It's snowing!" Tenten's seven-year-old daughter, Kanae, ran into the room dressed in her heaviest coat, a bright red scarf wrapped around her neck and a matching hat on her head. Her four-year-old brother, Hizashi, followed, bundled up in his own winter wear, a big grin on his face. "Mom, can we _please_ go out and play in it?" Kanae held up her hands prayerfully in front of her, pleading eyes open as wide as they could go.

"Guys, it's barely light outside." Tenten threw open the drapes on the big floor-to-ceiling windows at the back of the room so they could all three see the big white flakes falling from the sky. Though the sun had appeared over the horizon, the heavy, battleship-grey clouds above them blocked out most of its brilliance. "And besides, there's not enough on the ground to do anything with. Why don't you wait until later, okay? Your cousins will be here this afternoon, and then you can all take the dogs out and play together."

"What about Dad?" Though obviously disappointed, Kanae pulled off her hat and ran her hand through her soft, straight brown hair, smoothing it down. "D'you think he's still going to be able to fly in, thanks to all this snow?"

"He's just flying from Portland." Tenten moved over to the mantle and straightened the bright strand of red and gold garland draped in swags from the same hooks which would house the children's stockings in just a few hours. "He'll be here in plenty of time, before the weather gets really bad. It's your Uncle Gaara I'm worried about. He's coming all the way from New York - and that's a long way away. The storm will really be firing up just about the same time he's supposed to land."

Tenten's husband Neji, a prestigious heart surgeon despite his young age, had had to fly to Portland to give a discourse about his work at a cardiology seminar. It had been rescheduled, and though the timing had been a little too close to Christmas for the Hyuuga family's tastes, Neji was the keynote speaker and had to be there. Thankfully he'd managed to book a flight on the twenty-third, so he'd be home in plenty of time for all their Christmas Eve traditions, too.

"What about Aunt Hinata and the twins?" Though only seven, Kanae was unusually perceptive for her age. She tended to catch on to things faster than other kids her age, especially if the things were worrisome to adults.

"They should be fine. They'll be cutting it close-" she decided not to say just _how_ close "-but they should beat the worst of the storm." If the snow kept falling the way it was now, with big flakes but at a relatively lazy pace, it shouldn't accumulate on the roads too quickly. The road crews had already put down cinders and brine, so Tenten hoped the roads would stay clear long enough for Hinata, the twins, and their dog to get to the house safely.

Gaara, on the other hand... Tenten had flown from New York to Denver before. She knew how long the flight took, and unless the plane had already taken off, she knew there was no way he would beat the storm.

And since the holidays meant more flight delays than usual... _Oh, this does not bode well._

Tenten's phone rang. Feeling a little shiver of apprehension shoot up her spine, she pulled the device out of her pocket and checked the screen. A tiny guilty part of her was glad to see Hinata's name instead of Neji's on the screen. Had it been the latter, it would mean he wasn't on his flight in the air, as he was supposed to be. She answered it. "Hi, Hinata, what's going on?"

"Bad news." Hinata sighed gustily. "Gaara's stuck in New York. His flight's been canceled, and it doesn't look good on rescheduling to tomorrow, what with snow storms in New York _and_ there in Denver. He's looking into getting a different flight, close enough to drive the rest of the way, but that's not promising, either."

_Oh no._ Just as Tenten had feared. When she'd turned on the weather channel this morning to check the status of the snowstorm headed for Denver, she'd instead been greeted by news of a surprise overnight storm in New York. It hadn't been supposed to hit until _after_ Gaara's flight left - tonight, instead of last night. But it had moved a little faster than the meteorologists expected it would (and since when were they right, anyway?). Now Gaara was stuck over halfway across the country from his family, with Christmas only two days away.

"Oh, Hinata. There's nothing?" Tenten's eyes drifted toward her laptop, sitting in sleep mode on the coffee table in front of the couch. Perhaps she could check some other airlines, help Gaara find something quicker...

"Not yet. Gaara's going to stay at the airport, just in case a seat opens up at the last minute. Fortunately the woman at the front desk with whom he spoke seemed helpful, albeit a little stressed. She said she'd page him if anything popped up, but she couldn't promise." Hinata stopped to hush Suna, who was barking in the background. When she came back, she said, "Do you still want me and the twins to come? Is Neji on his way?"

"Yes. He would have texted or called me by now if his flight was canceled. It was supposed to take off two hours ago, which means it probably only left half an hour ago, but he'll be home well before the worst of the storm gets here." Tenten felt guilty sharing that news with Hinata, since it meant her husband would be able to be home for Christmas when it looked like Hinata's wouldn't. "But we still want you and the twins to come, definitely."

"Are you sure?" Hinata still sounded uncertain even after Tenten heartily assured her she, Neji, and the kids wouldn't have it any other way. "I'll kick us all into high gear, then, I guess. We just have to finish packing things we needed this morning, and I already put most of the presents in the van last night. So we'll load everything else in and then leave. We should be on the road in the next half hour or so."

"Okay. See you in about eight and a half hours, then?" Tenten hated how long the drive between Albuquerque and Denver was, but it couldn't be helped.

"Probably more like ten," Hinata said with a groan. "We've got to stop somewhere for food on the way, plus there'll probably be traffic. Add in the weather..." She clicked her tongue. "It'll be a while, but we'll get there. I promise to be careful, and I'll call you when we're almost there."

"Sounds good. Be careful. Love you guys; see you soon." Tenten hung up the phone and forced a smile for Kanae and Hizashi, who were watching their mother with wide eyes. They'd both squirmed out of most of their winter gear, though they still wore their thick pants, sweaters, and heavy wool socks. "Well, Aunt Hinata and the twins are still coming, but Uncle Gaara is stuck in the airport in New York. His flight was canceled because of the weather, but he's hoping to get something else."

Hizashi cheered, but Kanae looked worried. She glanced at her brother, then gave her mother a significant look, filled with questions.

Tenten closed her eyes and shook her head once, sharply, in response. "Okay," she said, picking up her son and cradling him close in hopes he wouldn't notice his sister and mother's preoccupation. "Who wants to help me make sugar cookies?"

The trio headed to the kitchen, and Tenten hoped she could keep her kids busy until Neji got home from the airport. Then she could enlist his help in keeping them occupied until Hinata, Hiashi, and Hoshi got there.

It was going to be a long, long day.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I love the dogs! I adore the Shiba Inu breed, I think they're some of the prettiest dogs on the planet. And Konoha is based on my own dog, also a (rescued) Belgian Malinois/boxer mix, though Jazz is male. But he's also wickedly smart, and _loves_ solving puzzles, which makes Christmas and hiding his presents an adventure every year. (It says something profound when you have to try _really_ hard to outsmart your dog.) _Anyway_, back on topic. There are seven chapters total in this fic, and I'll update this every Wednesday and Sunday (my fic _Entanglements_ will have a new chapter each Friday as scheduled throughout this story, too) with the final chapter going up on Christmas Eve. The title of each chapter will be from a Christmas song, and I'll list each one at the beginning of the chapter, and the group who sings my favorite version. So until Sunday, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this first chapter!


	2. Let it Snow

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Fic title song: _All I Want for Christmas (Is You)_ by Mariah Carey

Chapter title song: _Let it Snow_ by Bing Crosby

Part: 2/7

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _LaughinConfusion_, _CrimsonNight41_, _Hyoyen_, _Ami1010_, and _rao hyuga 18_ for your lovely reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their alerts lists!

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for the enthusiastic response I got for the first chapter! NejiTen and GaaHina are actually my top two favorite ships in _Naruto_, and I _love_ getting to combine them in this story. I also had a lot of fun plotting the whole story and then writing it, so I'm really glad people are enjoying it. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter II~*<strong>

_~Let it Snow~_

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><p>Driving for eight-plus hours in a van with two hyper five-year-olds, a bored dog, in a traffic jam, in the snow, was not exactly what Hinata was looking for to put her in the Christmas spirit.<p>

"Mama, are we _there_ yet?" Hoshi whined. The twins had been taking turns asking the question for the past five hours. At least they'd waited an hour after leaving the house to start.

Suna yowled, picking up on the energy of everyone else in the van and feeling agitated. He probably needed a bathroom break, but they were still two miles from the next exit.

"No." Hinata forced calm into her voice, wishing for the _n_th time Gaara was with her. In years past, they'd taken turns driving on the alternating trips they took to visit her family or his on Christmas. They'd done the exact same thing when they traveled out to Tennessee to visit Gaara's brother and sister and their families for Thanksgiving, just one month past.

But this time, Hinata was on her own. Ordinarily she wouldn't mind, but with the stress of the past few days combined with everything which had been dumped on her the moment she got out of bed this morning, she felt more like falling into an uncharacteristic barrage of curses instead of singing along to _Let it Snow_.

And wasn't that _the most_ ironic thing. She wanted to change the radio channel in hopes of hearing some other - _any_ other - Christmas music, but didn't dare take her hands off the wheel. It had started snowing about an hour ago, and the roads were already beginning to get slick. Traffic had slowed to a crawl; all she could see clear ahead to the next curve were the bright brake lights of everyone else stuck in traffic along with her.

Hiashi and Hoshi, in the very back seats of the minivan since she'd lowered the middle two so Suna would have plenty of room to roam away from the luggage, raised their voices in an enthusiastic if extremely off-key duet along with the radio. At first, all three of them had fun singing along, but Hinata had stopped a long time ago. Now she was too stressed - and too busy watching the stop-and-go (mostly stop) traffic - to join in with her excited children.

They inched forward another few car lengths, bringing them that much closer to Neji and Tenten's. Her cousin would have been home from the airport long ago, and she halfway expected her phone to ring at any moment. Thanks to the heavy clouds overhead, dusk had arrived early, and huge, wet snowflakes splatted against her windshield and danced in front of her headlights.

It would be kind of pretty if not for the fact she was still _hours_ away from her cousin's house with two rambunctious, bored-out-of-their-minds children and a dog who was yowling loudly enough to rival a werewolf at the full moon.

A car about half the size of Hinata's minivan jumped into the space between Hinata and the pickup truck in front of her. The petite brunette ground her teeth to keep from screaming.

"How much longer?" Hiashi asked as the radio station went to commercial. "We _gotta_ be almost there, right, Mama?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Hinata inched the front of the van closer to the rear of the car to keep the edgy little hatchback in the left lane from jumping in front of her, too. She was already far enough back in line, thank you.

They crawled their way up to the next exit, and Hinata managed to maneuver their way off. After letting poor Suna out to do his business, she took the twins into a fast food place so the three of them could use the bathroom, too. Then she got food and drinks for all of them before heading back to the highway.

Amazingly, she got right back on - and in front of the hatchback, which made her quietly snicker to herself. The traffic was moving so slowly that, by getting back on the interstate a little farther up from where she'd left it, she'd managed to keep her place in line, pretty much. So she ate while sitting in traffic, her knee against the steering wheel as they inched forward a couple of car lengths at a time. Despite the snow falling hard and fast outside, the inside of the van was toasty warm, making her push up the sleeves of her heavy black sweater with the white snowflake pattern she loved so much.

"You kids doing okay back there?" she asked half an hour and three miles later.

"I'm tired," Hoshi said with a yawn. "How much longer, Mama?"

At this rate, Hinata was pretty sure they'd pull into Neji and Tenten's driveway somewhere around midnight. "Why don't you try to get some sleep? I'll turn down the radio, and if you're not awake by the time we get there, I'll wake you up, okay?"

Hoshi grumbled for a moment, but a glance in the rearview mirror proved the little girl had dropped her head against her pillow, propped against the window, and fallen right to sleep. Hiashi's eyes were starting to look heavy, too. Hinata had a feeling it wouldn't be long before he joined his twin in dreamland.

The hours and miles crept by, keeping equal pace with each other. Snow continued to fall, increasingly harder the closer they got to Denver. As the clock ticked over to the ten o'clock hour, Hinata let out her breath in relief as she got off the interstate on Neji and Tenten's exit. The snow was already standing close to a foot if not more deep on the grass. She saw big snow plows patrolling the road, scraping off the snow down to the ice as she drove.

Keeping both hands clenched tightly on the wheel, she hardly dared even blink as she prayed they could safely make it the last seven miles to her cousin's place.

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><p>Hizashi looked up at Tenten with teary pale eyes, his lower lip pooched out in a pout fit to put the dog to shame. "But I wanna see 'em when they get here!" he complained.<p>

Leaning down, Tenten pressed her lips to her son's forehead. "I know, sweetie," she said. "But it's way past your bedtime, and don't you want to be able to stay up late tomorrow night? You can't have both."

Eyes narrowing, Hizashi visibly thought things over. "What about Kanae?" he asked. "_She_ gets to stay up."

"_She_," Tenten replied with a smile, "is older than you. And she doesn't get to stay up _that_ late."

Blowing out a gusty sigh, Hizashi closed his eyes and finally acquiesced. "I'll sleep early tonight and stay up tomorrow."

"That's a wise decision, my little man." Brushing a loose lock of hair off her son's face, Tenten smiled down at him. "Good night, Hizashi."

"'Night, Mama," he murmured drowsily as she switched off the light. His breathing had evened out in slumber by the time she reached the door, and she smiled at him again before closing it behind her.

Neji looked up from his book as Tenten reentered the family room, his reading glasses slipping down his nose a bit. "Hizashi finally settled?" he asked as she curled up next to him on the couch.

"_Finally_. He put up a fight, but he was asleep before I even left the room." Tenten looked over at Kanae, who sat on the rug in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate and Konoha next to her, focused on watching _A_ _Charlie Brown Christmas_ for probably the fifteenth time this month. As Charlie and Linus wandered through the multitude of garish, mostly artificial trees, looking for just the right _real_ one, Tenten looked at theirs. It had turned out particularly well this year, if she didn't say so herself. The lights sparkled off the garland, and the ornaments hung perfectly from their branches. She could hardly wait for Hinata and the kids to add their presents to the pile already there, so she could get a picture of the finished product.

Carefully placing his bookmark in between two pages, Neji set his book on the side table, glasses on top, before wrapping both arms around her and pulling her snugly to his side. Draping her legs over his, Tenten rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes with a contented sigh. "I'm so glad you were able to fly in before the storm got too bad." The white blanket on their back lawn already measured a good foot deep, and Tenten was really getting concerned about Hinata. She had called a few hours before, during a quick stop for a bathroom break and to get some food, but the storm had taken a turn for the worse since then.

"Me too." Neji rested his head atop hers, left hand rubbing soothingly up and down her arm. "Makes me feel a little guilty, though. I don't know how I'm going to be able to look Hinata in the eye, being here for you and the kids when Gaara can't be for his."

Tenten closed her eyes and nestled her forehead in the crook of Neji's neck and shoulder. She felt warm and drowsy, lulled by her husband's warmth, her daughter's laughter, and the timeless dialogue on television. "I don't know. She seems pretty confident he'll still be able to make it. Her confidence is contagious, because I'm starting to believe it myself." She knew if there were any possible way to make it home to celebrate Christmas with his wife and kids, Gaara would find it.

They lapsed into silence, content to rest in each other's embrace through the ending of _Charlie Brown_. Kanae sent her parents a questioning look, and at her father's nod, she took out that disc and put in another. Snuggling up against the dog, Kanae hummed along to the opening song of the movie she'd just put in.

This was yet something else which made Tenten love Christmas so much. She'd grown up an orphan, never having known her parents, and having the big family now she'd lacked as a child made this time of year even more special. She loved opening up her house to Neji's family each year, hearing the laughter and feeling the joy permeating the halls of her home. It made her feel loved, and warm, and part of something rare and special and beautiful.

Konoha suddenly jumped to her feet with a bark and took off for the front of the house. Neji and Tenten shared a hopeful look, then followed her to the door, where the dog stood wagging her tail and barking.

Tenten opened the door, grinning when she saw Hinata climbing out of the driver's seat of her minivan. "Hinata!" she called, waving wildly.

With a grin, Hinata hurried up the steps to hug first Tenten, then Neji. "It's so good to see you," she said, her breath fogging in the cold air. The snow immediately began to cling to her hair, looking even whiter against its blackness.

After grabbing their coats, Neji and Tenten followed Hinata out to the van. As the women picked up a child apiece, Neji started unloading luggage and presents. A moment later Kanae joined them, holding out her arms so her father could pile them up with gifts wrapped in brightly colored paper.

While Konoha and Suna got reacquainted with each other, Tenten and Hinata carried the twins up the stairs. The latter carried her son into Hizashi's room, where the former had set up a cot earlier in the day. Hoshi barely stirred as Tenten carried the little girl into Kanae's room and helped her out of her coat, scarf, and boots. Curling up onto her own cot, Hoshi mumbled something incomprehensible as she fell back into deep sleep.

Tenten met Hinata in the hall, and the two women headed back downstairs. "How long have they been out of it?" the former inquired.

"About four hours or so," Hinata said. She quickly covered her yawn with her hand. "I'm glad they were asleep through the worst of it. The snow's really been coming down for the last two hours or so, and the road's super slippery. The crews are out plowing, but as thick and fast as the snow is falling, I don't think they can keep up. It's turning into a full-out blizzard out there."

After talking her cousin-in-law into taking off her coat and settling in front of the fire with a hot cup of tea, Tenten sent Kanae to bed before helping Neji carry in the rest of the luggage and presents. After everything had been sorted into their proper rooms, the three adults sat down and caught up a bit.

"Have you heard anything from Gaara recently?" Tenten asked hopefully. Hinata's phone sat close by on the coffee table, but the screen remained dark.

Shooting her phone a hopeful glance, Hinata sadly shook her head. "Nothing since the last time I called him this afternoon during one of our breaks. He's still hopeful he'll find another flight, but he said there'd been nothing come up yet. I'm pretty sure he would have let me know if he'd found something." She sighed, then visibly forced a smile. "Hopefully in the morning."

"Speaking of morning," Neji said, unwinding his arm from around Tenten's shoulders, "I'm afraid I'll have to see you ladies then. It's been a long day, and I can barely keep my eyes open."

Hinata uncurled from her spot by the fire and reached for her empty cup. "That makes me feel better, then. I was just about ready to pack it in, too, but I didn't want to be the first."

It didn't take long for the three of them to clean up the cups, then turn off all the lights so they could head upstairs to bed. Hinata wished them both goodnight and then slipped into the guest room she and Gaara always used when they visited. Tenten and Neji continued on to the master bedroom suite at the end of the upstairs hall.

As the two of them settled down under the covers and in each other's arms, Tenten whispered drowsily, "Do you really think Gaara will be able to find a flight?"

"I don't know," Neji replied, sounding close to sleep himself. "But it is Christmas. If it's possible, it will happen."

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ has been my favorite Christmas special since I was a kid. It's just so classic and timeless, and I couldn't resist working it into this story as Kanae's favorite. It always brings back such good memories when I think about it or watch it... And is it just me, or do you think Neji would look _really_ handsome in reading glasses? But oh, poor Hinata! So far she's not really having that great a Christmas holiday. But it'll get better ... eventually... Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for Wednesday's update!


	3. I'll Be Home for Christmas

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Fic title song: _All I Want for Christmas_ by Mariah Carey

Chapter title song: _I'll Be Home for Christmas_ by The Carpenters

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _Kibachow_, _LaughinConfusion_, _Ami1010_, _rao hyuga 18_, _GemB, _and _Chiisai-chan97_ for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and alert lists!

**Author's Note:** And we get to catch up with Gaara in this chapter! I had such a blast writing this fic, and I'm glad you're all enjoying it. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter, too!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter III~*<strong>

_~I'll Be Home For Christmas~_

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><p>Georgia. Florida. Louisiana. Tennessee and Ohio and the Carolinas, and so many other states where planes were taking off from New York for with only slight delays.<p>

But no matter how long Gaara sat in his seat feeling the stubble on his cheeks and chin grow, watching a sea of humanity move around him with smiles and laughter and excitement, the flights to Denver and all other points west which could possibly get him close enough to drive the rest of the way remained canceled or full. Outside, snowflakes drifted out of the dark sky, shining brightly in the airport's many lights. It wasn't snowing hard enough to cancel flights out to places where the weather was fine, but that included nowhere that would do him any good.

He glanced at his watch - almost midnight. Less than half an hour remained until Christmas Eve where he was, and he still sat in a New York airport waiting for a miracle. The woman at the counter he'd originally gone to had gone off duty several hours before; but she'd updated her replacement on the situation, and that lady agreed to take over the hunt. If a seat opened up anywhere within a somewhat reasonable drive to Denver, she would let Gaara know immediately.

Since it was only around ten in Denver, Gaara hoped Hinata and the twins had gotten safely to Neji and Tenten's. He thought about calling to check, but his phone didn't have that much power left in it, and he needed to use it sparingly. If (no, _when_, he told himself fiercely, he needed to think positively!) he got a flight, he would text Hinata to let her know. He would save his phone call - which would probably kill his phone's battery - for when he landed at the aiport on the other end. Then he'd rent a car or take the bus, or a taxi, or whatever it took.

He _would_ be at Neji and Tenten's home for Christmas, somehow.

A flight to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was called over the loudspeakers, and Gaara briefly wished he and his family (and Hinata's, for that matter) lived in warmer climes. Ideally, points south instead of west. Those were only _delayed_, anyway, instead of canceled altogether.

As the occupants of several seats nearby emptied, a man hurried in holding his hat on his head with one hand and tugging along his rolling suitcase with his other. Cheeks flushed, breath puffing out, and blue eyes wild, he dropped into the chair next to Gaara's. "Whoa," he said, shaking his head. "I was beginning to think I wasn't going to get to the airport in time. Thank goodness my flight's delayed."

_At least it isn't canceled_. Biting back the automatic response welling up to his lips, Gaara looked up at the nearest board. "Where are you headed?" he asked. He didn't particularly feel sociable at the best of times - which this wasn't - but his curiosity got the better of him.

"Eh? Oh. Las Vegas." Grinning, the blond pulled off his hat and then rubbed the back of his head. "Sounds like a weird place to go for Christmas, right?"

Gaara lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "No weirder than some, I suppose." He could think of stranger places. "You have family there?"

"Sort of." Grin still firmly in place, he stuck out of his hand. "Uzumaki Naruto. Merry Christmas - or almost, anyway. Nice to meetcha."

Cautiously, Gaara reached out and shook Naruto's hand. "Sabaku Gaara. Merry Christmas to you, too."

Leaning back in his seat, Naruto stretched out his jeans-clad legs and crossed his arms over his chest, covered by a (strange, and rather unseasonable) bright orange sweater. "So, Gaara, where are you headed this chilly Christmas Eve eve night?"

"Denver, eventually. Hopefully." Gaara looked up at the board, which still showed nothing of interest. Except, of course, that Naruto's flight was only running about forty-five minutes behind.

"Got family there?" Naruto asked curiously.

"My wife's family lives there. We live in New Mexico, and she and the kids drove up from there today. I was supposed to fly over and meet them in Denver, but between the storm here and the one there, my flight got canceled." Gaara watched the screen refresh itself, this time with a new bunch of destinations. Frustratingly enough, there were seats available on several of them, but none that would do him any good. "I'm hoping something else will come up close enough for me to drive the rest of the way." He had no idea why he was sharing all this with a perfect stranger, but Naruto looked like he was genuinely curious. Like he sympathized.

"How long you been married?" Naruto queried.

"Seven years. The twins came along two years later." Two of the happiest days of his life: his wedding day, and then the twins' birth day. Times he would never forget, as long as he lived.

"Where are some places you could fly in?" the blond asked. His blue eyes glowed attentively.

"Nowhere in Colorado, obviously. But a few places in New Mexico, like Santa Fe or even Albuquerque. Dodge City or Wichita, Kansas would work, too." There were flights, but they were all full.

Naruto studied the board in silence for a long moment, fingers of his right hand tapping rhythmically against his left arm. Then, finally, he asked, "How about Las Vegas?"

"I suppose it would work, but there are no open seats." Gaara pointed to the board to back up his comment. The flight itself wouldn't be too bad - only around nine hours, with one stop in Atlanta - but it was the drive which concerned him. On a good day, it was around twelve hours between Las Vegas and Denver. With the snowstorm, he knew it would be even longer.

But if he drove straight through, he could probably do it. If a seat opened up, which didn't look likely.

Naruto tapped Gaara's arm, and the redhead turned to see the blond holding out a plane ticket. "Here you go. One Business Select ticket to Las Vegas, with a brief layover in Atlanta. And a rental car waiting at the other end, too."

Gaara blinked. "But that's _your_ ticket," he protested. "And - and what about your family?"

Staring down at the ticket, Naruto's smile turned a little sad. "They won't notice I'm not there. You see, my parents were killed in Las Vegas ten years ago. I've been going out there every Christmas since - makes me feel closer to them or something, I guess, weird as it sounds." Lifting his electric blue eyes to Gaara's, he smiled determinedly and shook the ticket slightly. "But your family's still out there, waiting for you. I can remember Mom and Dad here just fine. It's time for me to let go. But you? You _need_ to be there. So here." Taking Gaara's hand, he pushed the ticket into it and closed the redhead's fingers around it. "Please. Take it."

"Thank you," Gaara said, staring at his ticket to his family. Las Vegas was a long way from Denver, but he could do it. He could make the drive, so he could be with Hinata and Hiashi and Hoshi for Christmas.

Naruto and Gaara went up to the desk, and the woman there switched the tickets from the blond's name to the redhead's, as well as the arrangements for the rental car on the other end.

"Here you go," she said with a smile, handing the ticket to Gaara. "Have a safe flight, and Merry Christmas."

"Thank you - and you have a Merry Christmas, as well," Gaara replied sincerely. Gripping the ticket, he grasped the handle of his rolling suitcase and stepped away from the counter to make room for the next person in line.

It was now after midnight, and his flight left in less than an hour. But he _finally_ got a seat.

Naruto stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and grinned. "I'm really glad I met you, Gaara. Thanks."

Shaking his head, Gaara held up his ticket. "I should be the one thanking you. I'll never forget what you did for me. If you ever need anything..." He scrounged around in his laptop case until he found a sheet of paper and a pen, and quickly scrawled his name and phone number. "Please, don't hesitate to call. I owe you _so much_ for this."

Taking the paper, Naruto glanced at it, then carefully folded it and tucked it into his pocket. "You don't owe me anything. It's Christmas - peace on Earth, goodwill toward men. I was where I needed to be at just the right time, and I'm glad you're gonna get to go home to spend Christmas with them." Laughing, he shrugged and added, "It's not going to mean a thing to them, but tell your wife and kids Naruto says hi, and Merry Christmas."

Gaara nodded. "I will. Thank you again."

"You're welcome. And thank you for helping me finally let go." Grabbing the handle of his own rolling case, Naruto turned back toward the airport entrance with a wave. "Merry Christmas, Gaara. I hope it's a great one."

* * *

><p>Neji woke exactly at six, even though he hadn't set his alarm the night before. For a moment he lay in the pre-dawn stillness, listening. Other than the furnace and Tenten's soft breathing, the house was still quiet.<p>

Knowing it would be pointless to try to go asleep again, Neji rose and completed his morning ablutions before heading downstairs. He turned on the lights on the tree, then switched on the electric fireplace, before he went to the kitchen for a cup of tea and some breakfast. He checked the weather (more snow, wonderful) as he ate, then poured another cup of tea and turned off the television.

The dogs met him at the door of the kitchen, tails wagging and eyes begging. Neji let them out the back door, watching them bounce through snowdrifts taller than Hizashi, the fluffy white glistening like diamonds in the motion-detector lights on either side of the door. Konoha liked the snow, rolling around in it as she barked happily. Suna lifted his paws high with each step, all but turning up his nose at the cold snow with which he was confronted no matter which way he turned.

After letting the dogs back in and drying them off, Neji headed down to the basement. He passed by the door leading into Tenten's workshop, favoring instead the extra room which was always off-limits to the kids around the holidays. Gaara and Hinata had shipped the twins' "Santa" presents over a few weeks ago, but both he and Tenten had been so busy recently, neither of them had had time to wrap those - or the gifts of the same nature intended for their own kids.

Kanae had already figured out there was no Santa, but she willingly played along for the benefit of her brother and cousins. When she'd told Neji and Tenten she knew, she'd promised of her own accord never to breathe a word to Hizashi, Hiashi, and Hoshi until they figured it out themselves.

Smiling, Neji turned on the radio in the corner, tuned to a station which had been playing Christmas music since back at Halloween, and settled in to start wrapping. First he quickly took care of the few last minute things he'd gotten for his family; then he put away their wrapping paper and picked up the roll they'd gotten to masquerade as Santa's and got busy measuring, wrapping, taping, and labeling.

A few hours passed, and Neji had nearly finished getting everything ready to sneak upstairs that night when Tenten came into the room, a cup of steaming tea in one hand. She'd pulled her hair up in a loose bun at the back of her head, and the yukata she used as a houserobe was sloppily tied around her waist. Sleep still lingered in her brown eyes, and she yawned as she moved across the room to lean against the table next to him. "Morning," she mumbled.

"Merry Christmas Eve." Neji kissed her, then turned back to the table. "I'm almost done. What time is it?" He'd quite lost track of time while he worked, and there wasn't a clock in the room.

"A little after ten." His wife yawned again, then took a drink of her tea. "Kanae and Hizashi are both up, but Hinata and the twins are still completely sacked out. I think the drive really wiped them all out yesterday."

"Understandably. It took much longer than usual, what with the traffic and the snow, and Gaara not along to spell her..." He trailed off and shook his head. "Speaking of snow, have you looked outside this morning?"

Tenten visibly winced. "Yeah. That's a lot of snow. Think he'll make it?"

Neji tied the bow on the last of Hoshi's wrapped gifts and set it aside. "I honestly don't know. I know _if_ there is a way, he'll find it. But the drifts here are taller than Hizashi, and according to the weather channel, more's on the way. All of Colorado, really, is covered in snow. If we get much more, they'll close the roads up this way, and if he's not here before then..." Reluctantly, he shook his head.

Taking another drink of tea, Tenten blinked and visibly perked up as the warm brew helped wake her more fully. "Well, we already know he can't get a flight out here. But hopefully one somewhere close popped up during the night, and even now he's either on a plane coming this way, or behind the wheel of a car driving the rest of the way. I hope it's the latter, because then there's a good chance he'll be able to make it up here before they close the mountain roads."

Standing, Neji gathered up all the regular presents he'd wrapped and followed Tenten back upstairs. "Merry Christmas Eve!" he greeted his kids.

They watched him - most particularly the presents in his arms - as they repeated his greeting back to him. "Aunt Hinata and the twins are still in bed," Kanae informed him importantly. "But they should be up soon. What are the plans for today?"

Neji knelt in front of the tree and started rearranging things. Last night they'd just kind of dropped all the gifts Hinata brought next to the tree, and this was the first chance he'd had to straighten and organize them. Then he added the few things he'd wrapped earlier and turned to face the rest of his family. He spotted Konoha watching him, dark eyes going from him to her own presents at the back of the tree, but he ignored her. "Same as usual. You and the twins can go out and play in the snow for a while, and this evening we'll eat and then see how the weather's doing. If it's not too bad, we'll go out and look at lights. If it is, we'll stay here and marathon a few Christmas movies."

"And then," Tenten added with a grin, "we'll tuck ourselves snug up in our beds before midnight so when Santa comes, he'll leave something for all of us."

"Santa!" The dual squeals from the bottom of the staircase announced the arrival of the twins. "He's coming tonight, he's coming tonight!" Hiashi and Hoshi latched on to their cousins, and the four of them danced in a circle, squealing and laughing with excitement.

"Well, there goes Hinata's being able to sleep in." Tenten tilted her head and counted down from thirty; sure enough, with only three seconds left, Neji's cousin came down the steps, hair still in a messy night braid, and dressed in pajama bottoms and what was clearly one of Gaara's t-shirts.

"Morning." Hinata smiled fondly at her offspring, then accepted Tenten's hug and leaned down to kiss the top of Neji's head. She hid a yawn behind her hand, and said, "I had a text from Gaara when I woke up this morning."

"Good! Did he find a flight?" Neji got to his feet and went to corral the kids and head them toward the kitchen, where he'd tucked away the leftovers of what he'd fixed for breakfast so Tenten wouldn't have to cook when she got up.

"Sort of?" Hinata smiled sheepishly at the looks of confusion she got in response to her comment. "According to the text I got, a passenger gave up his seat so Gaara could take it. He got a red-eye out of New York during a lull in the snowstorm there."

"Great!" Tenten poured Hinata a cup of tea and handed it over with a grin. "Where's he going to land?"

Hinata stared down into her cup of tea and answered quietly, "Las Vegas."

"What?" Neji ran the two words over his mind, pretty sure he must have heard that wrong. "Did you just say - _Las Vegas_?"

"I'm afraid so." Hinata sighed and sank down into one of the chairs at the table. "There's a rental car waiting for him there, and he'll let me know when he lands and gets the car. It's going to be at least a twelve hour drive, but he said he's going to try to drive it straight through." She spun her cup around and around between her hands, watching the curling patterns of the steam coming off the hot liquid. "What's the weather look like today?"

Neji started passing out plates as Tenten pulled the leftover breakfast casserole out of the fridge. "More snow's supposed to move in this afternoon," he told her reluctantly. "They're talking like they'll probably have to close down the mountain roads at some point this evening."

Hinata visibly winced. Hiashi and Hoshi stared at her with wide, vulnerable eyes, and the former whispered, "Does that mean Papa isn't going to be here for Christmas?"

Tenten's hand closed around Neji's arm. He glanced over to see her staring at the twins with tears in her eyes. She looked up at him, and a fresh stab of guilt shot through Neji's chest. Here he was, safe and warm at home with Tenten, Kanae, and Hizashi, when it was looking more and more likely Gaara wasn't even going to make it. He knew none of it was his fault; it could just as easily been him who was stranded: but he still couldn't help but feel guilty.

And he saw the same sense of guilt flash briefly through Tenten's eyes before she looked back to Hinata.

Pushing away her teacup, Hinata reached out to touch Hiashi's arm, then brush Hoshi's hair off her face. "I don't know, baby," she said with a small, sad smile. "I honestly don't know. But I _do_ know that if there's a way, your father will find it. He's not going to give up until he's safe here with us." She looked up at Neji and Tenten and smiled, warmth and graciousness shining in her eyes.

The depth of his cousin's kindness never failed to humble Neji. Where another woman might mope and feel jealous, Hinata simply smiled and stayed positive. And with her example, what else he could do but follow her lead?

One way or another, Neji determined to make sure this was one of the best Christmases his cousin and the twins had ever had. Even if he had to shovel through ten feet of snow to do it.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Naruto really is such a sweetheart. I can totally see him doing something like that - seeing someone in need and just giving his plane ticket to the guy (or girl). And Las Vegas - he's got a long way to go still, but at least Gaara's closer than he was! I loved writing the scene in Neji's POV, too - it's been a long time, and I just love seeing things through his eyes, as it were. Thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for Sunday's update!


	4. White Christmas

Pleas see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Fic title song: _All I Want for Christmas_ by Mariah Carey

Chapter title song: _White Christmas_ by The Drifters

Part: 4/7

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _KyaNika_, _LaughinConfusion_, _rao hyuga 18_, _Kibachow_, _GemB_, and _CrimsonNight41_ for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this to their favorites and follows lists!

**Author's Notes:** I can hardly believe we're already halfway through the story! But there are only three chapters left after this one. In this chapter, Hinata gets some good news, there's some fun in the snow, and we get to find out what Tenten does for a living! I hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter IV~*<strong>

_~White Christmas~_

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><p>After Neji took the kids outside to play in the snow, Hinata and Tenten turned on a classic Christmas movie and settled on the couch to half-watch, half-talk. As they chatted, Hinata often found herself instinctively checking the screen of her phone, lying next to her curled-up legs on the couch.<p>

"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?"

At Tenten's question, asked with a sympathetic smile, Hinata looked up guiltily. "No?" she said apologetically. "I'm sorry. It's just - I keep expecting him to text me at any time." Or, even better, call. But he'd said his phone battery was dying, and he didn't want to use up too much of it. But since he would have had to turn it off on the plane, maybe she'd get lucky and he really would call.

"I understand." Tenten took a sip of her tea and turned her gaze back toward the television. "I'm sure there were probably delays in Atlanta, too. And who knows, maybe they had to reroute the plane so they wouldn't have to fly through part of this storm. I would think they'd be staying far enough south, but if they _did_ have to reroute, even partially, it would add yet another delay."

Hinata forced herself to relax and _not_ reach for her phone for the thousandth time. "You're right," she said, trying to convince herself. "I'm sure that's what happened. He'll let me know when he lands, whenever that is." But the hours were steadily ticking by, and the longer the delay, the more likely the roads crossing the mountains would be closed before he could get there. Though it wasn't snowing at the moment, more was forecast to start falling as the sun went down and the temperature once again began to plummet.

Right now the cold sunlight shone on what snow had already fallen. From her vantage point, Hinata could see Neji, the kids, and the dogs tumbling around in the snow, laughing and having fun. She only wished her red-haired husband could be out there with them...

"Hinata, your phone is buzzing." Tenten poked her cousin-in-law with one stockinged foot and pointed to the phone on the couch between them. "You might want to answer it."

She'd been so preoccupied and so determined _not_ to check her phone obsessively, Hinata had almost missed it. "Thanks!" Snatching up the phone, she barely checked the ID before opening the text. It wasn't a call, so she couldn't hear his voice, but she was more than content with reading the words he'd typed.

_Arrived at LV. Just picked up keys to rental. Will leave in next 5 min. Luv u, see you in about 12 hrs._

Allowing her head to fall back, Hinata pressed the phone to her chest and breathed a relieved prayer.

"He made it okay?" Tenten cradled her cup of tea in her hands, holding it so the steam floated up to her face. "He's landed in Vegas, then?"

"Yes." Hinata shot off a quick response and laid her phone down again. "Gaara's already picked up the keys to the rental car, and he'll be on the road in five minutes. He said he'll see us in about twelve hours." She bit her lower lip. She was grateful he'd gotten a flight, _period_, but she wished he'd been able to come a little closer. Las Vegas was so far away on a good day, in prime weather conditions. With the snowstorm blanketing the entire state of Colorado, and the roads up the Rockies likely to be closed at any time... _Please, _please_ don't close them too soon. Please wait until after Gaara makes it here - and, preferably, _please_ hold off the snow until he arrives safely_.

The expression on Tenten's face made it clear her thoughts mirrored Hinata's. "It wouldn't be the first time the meteorologists were wrong," she said comfortingly. "They aren't even right over half the time, and the few times they _are_, I'm pretty sure they just get lucky. The sun's really shining now, so who knows? The snow might actually hold off until after he gets here - or at least until after he's past where they typically close the road. You know if it's possible, he'll get here."

"I just hope he won't put himself in danger." Hinata knew her husband was usually a very cautious man, more likely to stand back and think things through before doing anything even remotely dangerous. But she also knew how much he wanted to spend Christmas with them; and that he knew how much they wanted to have him with them for Christmas. She just hoped it wouldn't turn her logical, safe husband into a daredevil in an attempt to get here. She would rather miss this one Christmas with him than run the risk of him never being here for another - or any other holiday or occasion - again.

Once again, Hinata turned her gaze out the window. Hoshi and Kanae were busy building a snowman, with Hizashi helping them form snowballs and then push them around to make them bigger. They already had the base, and now they worked on the torso. Neji stood watching with a soft smile on his face, petting Konoha's head as she came up next to him and pushed her nose into his gloved hand.

Hinata's gaze drifted to Hiashi, who stood farther away from his twin and cousins. He sprawled on his back in a snowdrift, working his arms and legs through the snow to make an angel. He grinned widely at the sky, locks of his bright red hair peeking out from beneath the soft knit hat he wore beneath the hood of his coat. The bright color looked even more dramatic against the gleaming white snow.

As fraternal twins, Hiashi and Hoshi didn't really look that much alike. With his red hair, strong cheekbones, the slope of his jaw, Hiashi looked like a miniature version of his father. Hoshi's resemblance leaned more towards her mother, with her delicate facial structure and her blue-black hair. The only thing that really tied them together were their eyes: pale like their mother's, save for the slightest hint of mint green.

Looking at Hiashi now, Hinata could see more than ever his resemblence to his father. It made her want Gaara with her all the more, so he could see the fun his children were having.

As she continued watching, Suna came trotting over and started licking Hiashi's face, making the boy laugh and roll around in the snow. When he sat up, he looked like a miniature abominable snowman, with white covering him from his bare red head (where had his hat gone?) down to his warm black snowboots.

Neji pushed his way through the snow and lifted Hiashi away from his snow angel, then set him down again and began brushing the snow off him. He said something which made the little boy laugh. Suna barked and began bouncing around the pair as if wanting in on the joke.

As much as it warmed Hinata's heart seeing her cousin and son share such a happy moment, she couldn't stop herself from wishing it was Gaara there instead of Neji.

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><p>Tenten quietly slipped away as Hinata watched the kids, the dogs, and Neji play in the snow. The look on her face made it clear she was a thousand miles away, and Tenten figured her presence did nothing but get in the way.<p>

Taking her tea with her, Tenten went downstairs to her workshop. Though she'd long completed all of the online orders she'd gotten in for Christmas, she figured it wouldn't hurt to get a head start on those she would have to send out _after_ Christmas. Her fingers itched to start working metal into shapes: dragons, and flowers, and butterflies, and other fantastical things. She would work on her jewelry orders now, then fire up her glass kiln and work on the vases and statuettes after Christmas.

Various things she'd made over the years since starting her online business sat around the room, watching her as she settled down at her workbench and picked up a piece of metal. This she would fashion into the shape of a large fairy; when she finished, she'd turn it into a pendant and string it onto a chain. She liked doing creatures, but not as much as weapons. Some of her bestsellers were pieces of jewelry done into little knives, or swords, or even bows and arrows. It was a line she'd been doing since the beginning, and it remained popular even now.

In fact, she'd carried the theme over into her glasswork, too. Tenten had made several statuettes of archers, samurai, ninja, and other warrior types. But her favorite things to make were glass dragons. She'd made several for herself, and they sat scattered around the house well out of the reach of her children and their dog. She made them in all different colors - blue, purple, red, green, gold, clear... There was something about dragons which had always fascinated her, even as a child, and she loved fashioning them. When they turned out _exactly_ as she'd seen them in her head, it gave her a sense of accomplishment only watching her husband and children succeed could surpass.

For a while, Tenten lost herself in the process of bending and shaping metal to her will. After she finished the fairy pendant, she quickly fabricated matching earrings, then packed them all away with an accompanying slip to send on the twenty-sixth. Then she got to work melding more metal into the shape of the Japanese _kanji_ for _love_, which she then proceeded to turn into a pendant. Since an accompanying order for a chain had not come in, she slipped it into a box by itself and wrapped the order form she'd printed off around it.

She hadn't even realized Neji and the kids had come back into the house until her door opened. Surprised, she turned to see her husband standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame and watching her with a warm smile and admiration in his eyes.

"Oh, stop," she said, blushing under his regard. She always felt embarrassed when he watched her like that.

"I love watching you work. You're such a good artist; it's like you have liquid metal running through your veins." Pushing off the doorframe, he stepped forward and touched a metal-and-glass sun catcher dangling from a hook on the ceiling, allowing the overhead lights to flash off the colored glass and send rainbows dancing across the walls. "It's like everything you make is an extension of yourself. You pour everything you've got into every piece, and I'm so glad so many people all over the world see what a great artist you are and fall over themselves to get a Tenten original."

Tenten had originally started out making metal jewelry and glass figures, ornaments, and sun catchers as a hobby. It wasn't until after she and Neji started dating their junior year of high school and he came home with her one day to watch her work that he planted the idea of forming a business in her head. She'd started small, making little things she could sell at school - then college - mostly around Christmas and Valentine's Day. Then it swelled to birthday, anniversary, and wedding presents. By the time she and Neji married, she'd created her own website and officially turned her hobby into a home business. It had turned out especially well when Kanae came along, since she worked at home and could always be with the baby.

If it hadn't been for Neji and his absolute confidence in her, she'd probably still be tinkering in the basement, only giving away the occasional piece as a gift for a friend or family member. But thanks to him, she could share the fruits of her abilities and labor with others, bring smiles and light into their lives. She had big boxes in the attic with letters she'd gotten over the years, thanking her for all the time and effort she put into each piece. She'd had complaints, of course - there was no escaping that no matter what she'd chosen to do as her career - but the positive far outweighed the negative.

Pushing away her most recent project - a fairy holding a bouquet of flowers she'd turn into a sun catcher later - Tenten got to her feet and went to wrap her arms around Neji's waist. "I love you." The words were so easy to say, but she wished they could hold even a fraction of what she felt for her husband. They had their quarrels and disagreements, of course, just as all couples did, but the powerful bond between them always brought them back to each other in short order. They both knew they'd found someone special when they met in high school - even though Tenten _had_ accidentally beaned him in the back of the head with a volleyball.

She still liked to tease Neji about it, saying he'd only asked her out because the ball had concussed his brain and made him see things (particularly, her) crookedly. But in response, he always smiled and kissed her in a way which let her know he'd always seen _her_: the real her, not the klutzy her. For all her faults and foibles, he loved her, just as she loved him despite his own.

Neji gathered her to his chest and kissed her with a warmth and passion which made her want to grab him by the collar of his sweater and drag him upstairs. Her fingers were creeping up to do just that when her daughter's strident voice reached her ears.

"Mo-o-o-m!" Her feet thudded on each step as she came down to the basement, and her parents sprang apart and tried to regain some degree of control over themselves before she appeared in the doorway. "Hizashi ate the last of the sugar cookies, and he _knew_ I wanted it!" She planted her fists on her hips, her pale brown eyes flashing fire.

Little doubt obtained in either Tenten's or Neji's head about whose temper Kanae had inherited. Sighing, Tenten took her daughter by the shoulders and headed her toward the stairs, knowing anything even faintly resembling romance would have to wait until after the kids had been tucked into bed and "Santa" had visited the house. "We still have time to make more before we leave to go look at lights later," she said. "Why don't you go get Hoshi and Aunt Hinata and meet me in the kitchen, okay?"

"Yes!" Kanae pumped her fist and ran ahead, cackling as she called ahead of her, "Us girls are making cookies, and there are _no boys allowed _in the kitchen!" She hit the top of the stairs and turned the corner, vanishing from sight, even if not sound.

Tenten was just starting to put her foot on the bottom step when Neji caught her arm, spun her around, and pulled her into his arms for another kiss. "Tonight?" he whispered huskily as they reluctantly parted for air.

Closing her eyes, Tenten smiled into Neji's shoulder and agreed, "Can't come soon enough."

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ I'm having so much fun sharing this story with you all - I can't believe there are only 3 chapters left! But this one was fun, with Hinata watching the kids (and the dogs, and Neji) play around in the snow, and I got to share what Tenten does for a living! I thought she'd be good at something like that - this way, she still got to work with metal, and she still has a bit of her usual love for weapons. I love dragons, so I couldn't resist having her love them, too, and make a lot of them. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you all again for Wednesday's update!


	5. Silent Night

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Story title song: _All I Want for Christmas_ by Mariah Carey

Chapter title song: _Silent Night_ by Straight No Chaser

Part: 5/7

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _KyaNika_, _Ami1010_, _GemB_, _rao hyuga 18_, and _CrimsonNight41 _for all your wonderful reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists.

**Author's Note:** Another chapter from the guys' points of view - and now there are only two left until the end! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter V~*<strong>

_~Silent Night~_

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><p>As the sun sank toward the horizon and the family gathered in the dining room for dinner, big, fluffy white flakes began falling outside. Neji watched them silently, one ear tuned to the weather report on in the background.<p>

Though the flakes were few and far between, it wouldn't stay that way long. Within the next hour, they would start falling hard and fast. Within three hours, blizzard-like conditions would settle over the Colorado Rockies, Ground Zero for the worst part of the storm.

"So are we going to see the lights?"

Neji blinked back to the conversation around the table at his daughter's question, obviously directed at him. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but it's probably not even safe to drive through our neighborhood. The storm's just going to keep getting worse, and the road crews have to concentrate on the main roads. Before long, they're going to call the emergency-vehicles-only warning." He'd lived in Colorado for his entire life, and the Rockies in particular for over half of it. He was long-used to the weather, and what inevitably happened when a blizzard hit.

The kids gave him disappointed faces, but ultimately calmed down after being promised hot chocolate with peppermint sticks and a marathon of Christmas specials and movies. As they took off for the family room and the DVD player, Neji followed his wife and cousin into the kitchen with an armful of dishes.

"Thanks, Neji." Tenten pressed a kiss to his cheek as she relieved him of his load. "Hinata and I were wondering earlier how to break the news to the kids."

Turning to go collect another armful, Neji said over his shoulder, "So you're just glad not to be the bad guy in this scenario, is that what you're saying?"

His wife smiled cheekily and shrugged her shoulders innocently, then gave him a sultry look so full of promise his pulse quickened in response.

Hinata and Neji tag-teamed loading the dishwasher while Tenten worked on the hot chocolate. After Neji unloaded, and while Hinata reloaded, he quietly watched his cousin and tried to discern her mood. Though she looked serene on the outside, he saw the glazed look in her eyes and the slump in her shoulders. He'd seen those same things many times in the past, and he'd long ago learned to recognize the signs. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

She blinked back to the kitchen and looked up from the plate she was fussily trying to stand up just so on the bottom rack. "For what?" she asked guilelessly.

Handing her another couple of plates, Neji sighed. "I know this is rough on you, Hina. And I feel guilty, to be honest. I had to go on a business trip, too, but I made it back here. I'll definitely be here for Christmas. And it makes me feel guilty, being here when there's a possibility Gaara won't be." He wasn't looking for absolution - not really. But he wanted Hinata to know how he felt, just in case she felt hurt by his relief and joy at being home.

A gentle smile turned up the corners of her mouth as she slid the new plates into place. "I'm not hurt or angry, Neji," Hinata said, obviously having read his mind. "I'm _glad_ you're here. If your positions were reversed, I know Gaara would feel the same way." She hesitated, turning the glass in her hand around a few times before looking up with a rueful twist to her smile. "Am I jealous? Yes, a little. I wish Gaara was here, and I'm still hoping and praying he will be. But I would never, _never_ wish you, Tenten, Kanae, and Hizashi apart, especially not right now."

Leaning forward, Neji deposited a kiss on the top of his generous cousin's head. "You're too good for all of us, you know that, little sister?"

She laughed and gave him a playful push. "Hush. That's not true, and you know it. Now hand me that bowl, will you? Or I'll throw something at you." She picked up a stray fork and waved it menacingly, though the action lacked the necessary threat thanks to her wide grin.

Neji allowed Hinata her redirection and handed her the bowl in question. As he shut the door and pressed the necessary buttons to start it, Tenten finished sliding the last few peppermint sticks into the tidy arrangement of cups on the counter. "Help me carry these in?" she asked, tilting her head toward the family room. The long-familiar strains of _Christmastime is Here_ floated to the adults' ears. Apparently the kids had gotten tired of waiting.

Among them, Neji, Tenten, and Hinata got all the cups to the family room and to their proper drinkers without mishap. The Hyuuga patriarch settled on the couch, immediately extending an arm as Tenten sat next to him and curled into his side. They sat in comfortable silence, watching their children, the twins, and the television in equal measures.

There was something about Christmas, Neji mused silently to himself. While on screen Linus waxed philosophical about how commercialized the holiday had become, Neji thought about his own family's celebrations. He looked forward to it every year: decorating the outside of the house with his children, then the inside of the house with them and Tenten. The air always smelled of pine, cinnamon, and something else he couldn't quite place but always reminded him of the essence of Christmas.

Christmases while growing up had been nice, but nothing like what they were like now that he had married. Neji's uncle had always joined his nephew and daughters just long enough for breakfast and most of opening presents before he left for his home office and more of his unending work. Neji, Hinata, and Hanabi always tried to make the best of it, but something had always been missing.

Neji had promised himself he wouldn't let his children feel the way he and his cousins had. And he knew Hinata felt the same way; also knew Gaara hadn't had the greatest childhood, either, and agreed wholeheartedly that making Christmas special for his family was essential. Whether the redhead made it or not, Neji again resolved to do his best to make sure Hinata and the twins had a good Christmas.

But, without Gaara, he knew it wouldn't be a _great_ Christmas. And there wasn't a single thing he could do to change that, no matter how desperately he wished it so.

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><p>The skies remained clear and sunny, albeit cold, all the way through Nevada, the little corner of Arizona he traversed, and the majority of Utah. But as he neared Colorado and the sun went down behind him, the snow began to pelt his windshield in earnest, as if to drive him back, warn him away.<p>

Gaara chafed at each stop he had to make, though he made them as short as possible. He ate while driving and chugged energy drinks, trying to outrun the exhaustion he could feel creeping up on him. It reminded him of his childhood, when insomnia dogged his steps even through high school and most of college. He had eventually faced his inner demons and now usually slept well, but in times of high stress it came back.

Now he would make that lack of sleep work in his favor.

The speed limit dropped as drastically as the temperature when he reached Colorado, and he joined the massive line of crawling cars creeping along the interstate. Flashing road signs had been set up alerting of bad weather conditions and slowed speed limits; Gaara switched radio stations until he found one currently playing a weather report.

_"...on this snowy Christmas Eve. State and county officials are closely monitoring current road conditions, but motorists are encouraged to stay put whenever possible. Drivers need to be aware of slick and hazardous conditions on all roads..."_

Gaara sighed and dared take one hand off the wheel long enough to pinch the bridge of his nose. He'd made good time through the past three states, but he had a really bad feeling he was going to lose all of it - and more besides - in the near future.

The woman on the radio wasn't finished yet. _"There is serious talk of closing the main roads leading up into and through the Rockies. Reports from Denver show it's right in the epicenter of the storm, getting as much as three inches of snow an hour. Please stay tuned for further reports - every half-hour or as needed. Thank you for listening, and have a Merry Christmas!"_

How could she sound so cheerful? Gaara took another swig of his energy drink and swallowed back his frustration. In his younger years he would have flown off the handle and done something he would probably regret later; age and experience (and Hinata's gentle, encouraging presence) had helped him tame his wilder, more violent side. Now he just tightened his hands around the wheel and silently ground his teeth as Christmas carols jingled their merry way across the radio waves.

The hours ticked by. As the weather continued to worsen, more and more cars left the interstate. A huge number of them got off at Grand Junction; after that, a steady decrease marked the miles as those remaining made their inexorable way east. Gaara couldn't take advantage of the clearing path thanks to the condition of the roads; the trucks out to plow the asphalt and put down salt or cinders, depending on the area, just couldn't keep up. The windshield wipers of his rented car beat a frantic rhythm to _Jingle Bell Rock_. Gaara squinted through the heavy snow, keeping his eyes glued to the taillights of the car in front of him.

Gaara got off at the nearest exit just long enough to fuel up his car, visit the men's room, and get something hot to eat and drink. He ate his sandwich quickly, practically swallowing it whole in the parking lot so he could get back on the road - and keep both hands on the wheel. The road was getting more and more difficult to navigate, and he still had over a hundred miles to go.

Soon he could count the number of regular motorists - ones like him, trying to get home for Christmas - on one hand. The only other people he saw were emergency vehicles and road plows. He managed to get behind one and followed it for several miles, finally allowing a smile to curl up his lips as it made the going at least a little smoother. But then it got off the interstate, leaving him to his own devices - and driving abilities - once again.

He tore his eyes away from his windshield just long enough to glance at the clock, shocked to see midnight had come and gone several hours ago. It was early Christmas morning, and he was still a long ways from Denver.

Anxiety coiled through him like an awakening dragon, but he shoved it back. He _would_ make it to his family for Christmas, so help him! He wasn't going to give up, even if he was the last person left driving on the slick road in just about the worst weather conditions imaginable.

Weather reports came and went as promised, even when Gaara had to change stations due to distance from the previous one. Each got progressively dire, and he resisted the urge to flip off the radio entirely. He needed those reports just in case he had to find another way through the mountains if they closed the main roads.

He only prayed they wouldn't - or, at least, they would wait to put the signs up until after he'd already passed. But it was three o'clock on Christmas morning, the snow was falling so hard and fast he could barely see three feet in front of the nose of his car, and who was he kidding? The roads were likely already closed, and had been for hours.

But he couldn't give up. Gaara just couldn't bring himself to let go of that last tiny little shred of hope clinging to life deep inside him. _I'm coming. Just keep the road open a little bit longer - I'm coming._

One second he was driving along, the nose of the car pointed determinedly toward Denver; the next, the car was spinning, the snow dancing in crazier than ever patterns in the careening light of the headlamps as the rental slid off the road and landed nose-first in a snow drift-filled ditch.

For a moment Gaara sat still and silent, his ears ringing, chest aching from where the seatbelt had grabbed him and slammed him back in the seat, face stinging as the airbag deflated after deploying. Finally he blinked, sucking in a lungful of much-needed air as he swiftly took stock of his condition: No broken bones, no blood, and nothing but a sore chest, aching head, and badly bruised pride.

Gaara stared out the windshield at a solid wall of snow. He'd landed in what would have been a ditch in normal weather; now it was a towering wall of snow taller than the roof of his car. The nose of the rental was jammed solidly into it, almost clear up to the windshield. Luckily it was so tighly packed from repeated road scrapings, it might otherwise have toppled and buried the car.

For a moment he sat still, wondering what he could do. With the front end so deeply buried, he knew there was no way he could get it unstuck - at least not by himself. Probably not until the next thaw, he thought grimly, when most of, if not all, the snow melted.

He checked his phone, but at some point in the last few hours the battery had finally expired. He didn't have his car charger with him since he hadn't been planning to be gone that long, and he hadn't been planning to drive (at least not this long) on his trip.

Outside his window, the snow kept falling down. He saw no lights, no cars, nothing but snow. The night was completely silent, lonely, washed in shades of black and white.

He was stuck on the side of the road somewhere in the Rockies with a dead cell phone, a half-buried car, and no way to get help.

He stared into the white-swirled blackness surrounding him, his jaw muscles tightening almost to the point of cramping as he confronted the stark possibility he might actually become a statistic of the storm.

***~To Be Continued~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Poor Gaara! At least he's in Colorado now, but he still might as well be in New York. But I'll say this - I'm a _huge_ fan of happy endings. And I'll let you all draw your own conclusions from there. Only two chapters left now, so sad to think we're so close to the end. But that means Christmas is almost here - I'm so excited, and this story just makes me more so! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you again for Sunday's update!


	6. Christmastime is Here

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Story title song: _All I Want for Christmas_ by Mariah Carey

Chapter title song: _Christmastime is Here_ by Vince Guaraldi Trio

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _LaughinConfusion_, _Ami1010_, _rao hyuga 18_ and _GemB _for all your reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists.

**Author's Note:** Only one chapter left after this! But this is definitely one of my favorites, for several reasons. I hope you all enjoy it, and thanks for reading!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter VI~*<strong>

_~Christmastime is Here~_

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><p>Tenten had tried, many years ago, to get Neji into a Santa Claus suit. She wheedled, begged, protested, and charmed her husband in hopes of talking him into it.<p>

She was firmly but kindly turned down every time. Now, nine years into their marriage, Tenten still kept a mental picture in the front of her head of what she thought he'd look like in a Santa suit, though she'd long given up hope of ever actually talking him into it.

A little after midnight, Tenten and Neji met Hinata in the family room, next to the big, still-lit Christmas tree. They'd all gone to their bedrooms not long after putting the children to bed, just to support the illusion, but none of them had actually gone to sleep.

Quietly, the trio sneaked down to the basement to gather up the presents waiting there and take them upstairs. They kept their ears tuned toward the stairs, just in case they heard the patter of little feet coming their direction. But the house remained quiet as they arranged everything under and around the tree, every now and then nudging Konoha and Suna away lest the dogs get any big ideas.

With everything arranged to their satisfaction, they added four big candy canes to the tree at varying heights, one for each of the children. They ate the cookies and drank the milk left for Santa. Then they stepped back to admire the final effect of their efforts, Tenten and Hinata taking snapshots with their cameras to commemorate the moment. Neji thoughtfully stayed out of the frame, particularly since he was just wearing jeans and a sweater instead of a Santa suit.

"Perfect," Tenten declared with a grin, setting the camera aside for use later. Reaching out to tweak the angle of one of the ornaments on the tree, she asked hopefully, "Have you heard from Gaara?"

Hinata shook her head, her pale eyes reflecting the multicolored glow of the lights. Despite the cheery colors, she looked very sad. "Not yet." She sent a glance toward the front door, then smiled bravely. "But you know, it really hasn't been long enough yet. It's been eleven hours, but with weather conditions and traffic, it's bound to take him even longer. I'm not _really_ expecting him to get here until around three or four."

Tenten brushed aside a loose strand of hair which had fallen out of one of the twin buns atop her head. She'd be taking it all down soon anyway, but it kept tickling her cheek and driving her crazy. "We'll keep the kids corraled in the morning," she said. "That way Gaara can get some extra sleep so he'll _enjoy_ the festivities, instead of looking and feeling like a zombie."

"Thanks, Tenten." Hinata rubbed her hands up and down her arms, then smiled bravely. "You know, I'm just going to stay up a little bit longer, I think, and wait for him."

"Do you want me to stay up with you, keep you company?" Tenten didn't want to leave Hinata downstairs all by herself, but at the same time...

Hinata shook her head. "No, please, go on to bed." She looked pointedly at Neji as his mouth opened to echo Tenten's offer. "_Both_ of you. Shoo." She motioned toward the stairs, pulling out the stern mama look which kept the twins in line.

As Tenten and Neji took the indicated path up the stairs, she leaned over and whispered, "I feel guilty."

"Me, too," Neji replied softly. After they were in the safety of their room, he added, "I'll set my alarm and get up in a few hours, to check on her. But right now, I really do think Hinata just wants to be alone. It's been a long day, and I'm sure she just wants to sit quietly for a while and wait for Gaara."

Tenten stepped into the bathroom and reached for her toothbrush. "I'm sure you're right," she said, squeezing some gel out of the tube. "But still, I hate the thought of her sitting down there all by herself."

Neji propped his shoulder against the door frame, meeting her eyes in the mirror. "Do you want me to go back down now?"

She paused her vigorous brushing and shook her head guiltily. She'd been looking forward to having her husband all to herself (for a few hours, at least) since this morning. Even though she _did_ genuinely feel badly about leaving Hinata alone, her desire for him outweighed it.

After spitting and rinsing, Tenten left the bathroom so Neji could brush his teeth and get ready for bed. While he was busy, she traded her jeans and Christmas sweater for one of his shirts, then sat down on the bed and took down her buns.

Just as she reached for her brush, Neji's hand slipped around her and nimbly snagged it. "Here," he said. "Let me do it."

Tenten closed her eyes as he brushed her hair, each stroke lulling her deeper into a kind of tingly haze. She felt his warmth close at her back, his gentle fingers combing through her hair in the wake of the brush's bristles, and heard his familiar soft baritone humming soothingly under his breath. Even though she felt warm and relaxed, gooseflesh rippled up her arms and along the back of her neck, accompanied by a rush of anticipation.

When Neji leaned forward to set her brush down on the nightstand, Tenten cupped the side of his face to turn him toward her. Their lips met. Arms wrapping around each other, he gently bore her down backwards, and everything else disappeared.

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><p>Hinata curled up on the couch, a throw blanket around her shoulders, stocking feet curled up under her so she didn't get too cold. With her phone perched on the arm of the couch right next to her, she turned her gaze toward the doorway leading to the entryway, waiting for a flash of lights which would indicate a car turning into the driveway.<p>

If she turned her head the opposite direction, to the right, she could see out the windows lining the back wall onto the deck. The snow had drifted so high it covered the stairs leading down from the deck, and she had a feeling it would be as high as the railing come daylight. The snow still fell hard and fast, and it definitely showed no signs of stopping.

If only it would, just for a few hours. Just long enough for Gaara to make it through the mountains safely...

Turning from the windows, Hinata gazed straight ahead at the tree. The lights twinkled merrily in the darkness, almost bright enough to read by. The variety of colors sparkled on the silver garland, making it look almost alive. On the mantle of the fireplace, the carefully placed stockings bulged with the candies, fruit, and presents she, Neji, and Tenten had added only a few minutes before.

Picking up a round peppermint from the dish sitting on the side table, Hinata unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. As the fresh flavor burst across her taste buds, urging her back towards wakefulness, she watched the tree and remembered Christmases past.

Their very first Christmas as a married couple, they had spent at home. Gaara surprised her that morning with a scavenger hunt around the house, with clues in each small wrapped gift which led her to the next. It had been grand fun, and something she'd like to do someday for the twins.

Christmas had gotten even more special after Hiashi and Hoshi came along. An already wonderful, beautiful time of year became more magical, especially once the children were old enough to unwrap their own gifts. The living room of whichever family members they spent the holidays with always wound up looking like a storm had ripped through, with torn paper, cut ribbons, and big bows thrown everywhere; but the cleanup was almost as much fun as unwrapping the gifts themselves.

Hinata wondered how Gaara's brother and sister and their families were doing. She'd talked to Temari a couple of times since Thanksgiving, but things had been so busy lately she hadn't had a chance to talk to her sister-in-law in the past couple of weeks. She made a mental note to call Temari, and then Kankuro, later with Gaara to wish them and their families a Merry Christmas.

Suna trotted down the stairs and sat down in front of her, his head tilted questioningly as if wondering why she hadn't gone up to bed yet. Smiling thinly, Hinata wormed a hand from beneath her blanket to scratch the top of his head. "I'll go up later, buddy," she told him. "After Gaara's here."

The dog's ears perked at the familiar sound of his master's name. He looked around as if hoping the redhead would come into the spacious room, preferably holding a doggie toy.

"In a while, Suna. In a while."

With a sigh, Suna scrambled onto the couch and curled up next to her, flopping his head on her leg so he could stare up at her with eyes begging for her to pet him. Smiling again despite herself, she stroked the top of his head and down over his neck and shoulders, feeling lulled by the rhythm and that indefinable comfort petting a dog always brought.

Hinata didn't know how long she'd been sitting there petting him, but eventually she began to doze. She awoke sometime later when Suna lifted his head, scrambled off the couch, and headed for the stairs. She turned slowly to watch him, surprised when Neji paused on the bottom step and looked at her, then the door.

"No, he's still not here." Hinata looked at the clock, shocked to see it was after three. Unease rippled through her, sparking a sick feeling of panic deep in her stomach. "It's so late. Did they close the roads? But wouldn't he have called me if they did, to tell me?" _What if he had a wreck? What if-?_

Neji sat down next to her, his big warm hand rubbing up and down her arm soothingly. "Don't panic," he said calmly. "I just flipped on the television and checked things before I came downstairs. The interstate is closed, but they just did it about an hour ago. I'm sure he's past that point by now, and almost here."

He seemed so calm and assured, Hinata felt a little of her anxiety wisp away. _That must be it._ "Gaara probably just didn't want to stop long enough to call, and he'll be here soon."

"Makes sense." Neji peered at her closely by the light of the tree, then shook his head. "Hinata, why don't you go on up to bed? It won't do you _or_ Gaara any good if you're too exhausted to celebrate his getting here. I'm sure he'd much rather you be in bed sleeping than sitting here feeling miserable."

Hinata knew Neji was right, but it was hard to make herself move. "I'm sure he'll be here soon," she repeated, more to convince herself than Neji. "And he has a key to the house, so he'll be able to get in without a problem." She glanced at her cousin out of the corner of her eye, strongly hinting he should go back to bed, too. Even if, heaven forbid, Gaara _didn't_ make it tonight, Neji would need to be bright and wide awake in the morning for his kids.

Just like she would need to be for hers, either way. Neji was right. She _did_ need to go to bed and sleep. Desperately. She could barely keep her eyes open, and her little nap earlier had only served to make her sleepier than ever.

She barely remembered Neji escorting her upstairs to her room. She only had a vague recollection of pulling off her socks and the sweatshirt she'd been wearing, leaving her in her sleep pants and Gaara's shirt, before pulling back the blankets of the bed in the guestroom and climbing in.

Suna jumped onto the bed and curled up next to her as she settled the blankets over her. She fell asleep before she could order him off.

Hinata slept deeply, rousing up only once when she felt the bed move a little. She tried to wake up fully, knowing the movement should have some sort of importance, but was so tired, she just slipped straight back to sleep.

_Bang!_

Startled, Hinata jolted awake when the door slammed into the wall, admitting her twins into the room. They charged across and fell onto the bed in a flurry of giggles, squirming around as they shouted at the top of their lungs, "It's Christmas, it's Christmas!"

Tenten appeared in the doorway, her frazzled expression sporting a streak of flour across her left cheekbone. "I'm sorry!" she said in obvious exasperation. "I tried to let you sleep as long as I could..." She trailed off.

Still half-asleep, Hinata curled her arms around the children and tried to hush them. "Shh," she cautioned, "you'll wake-"

Her head turned, and she blinked in shock at the other half of the bed. It was still empty, the blankets tucked in, the pillow slip crisp and undisturbed.

But she _remembered_ the bed moving sometime after she'd fallen asleep. On the heels of that memory came another, of Suna clambering atop the mattress to curl up next to her. It must have been the dog who had moved, making her think Gaara had climbed into bed with her.

A look across the room at the expression on Tenten's face - sorrowful, with more than just a hint of concern - confirmed everything.

It was Christmas morning, and Gaara had not made it to Neji and Tenten's.

***~To Be Concluded~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ Only one chapter left, so sad! This is probably my favorite chapter, for several reasons. I love sneaking back out to the tree late on Christmas Eve to stick presents under the tree to surprise people! (Granted, I don't have kids, but it's still fun to do.) Thank you all so much for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you all again for the last chapter on Wednesday!


	7. Merry Christmas, Darling

Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Fic title song: _All I Want for Christmas_ by Mariah Carey

Chapter title song: _Merry Christmas, Darling_ by The Carpenters

**Special Thanks:** goes out to _GemB_, _LaughinConfusion_, _Snowpeak_, _rao hyuga 18_, and _CrimsonNight41_ for all your lovely reviews! Also thanks to everyone who's added this story to their favorites and follows lists - I appreciate every single one of you!

**Author's Note:** Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! I can't believe we're to the final chapter of this story already. Seems like I just posted the first part a few days ago... Anyway, this is where it all comes together, and we find out once and for all - does Gaara make it home for Christmas, or not? Thank you all so much for reading, for your kind words and support, and I hope you enjoy this final chapter!

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><p><strong>*~Chapter VII~*<strong>

_~Merry Christmas, Darling~_

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><p>Tenten was hiding in the kitchen, quietly trying to pull herself together for Hinata's sake, when her daughter found her.<p>

"'Zashi and I have been talking," Kanae said seriously, without preamble. When her mother turned a puzzled gaze upon her, she said, "We're willing to wait until _after_ breakfast to open presents, instead of before like usual. That way Uncle Gaara has more time to get here."

Blinking down into her daughter's solemn face, Tenten wondered when the girl had gotten so grown up. It seemed like just last week she'd held her as a newborn, gazing into her perfect little features as her impossibly tiny hand curled around Tenten's index finger. "Thank you, Kanae," she whispered. She pulled the girl into a hug, then smiled and told her how proud she felt. "I'll talk it over with Hinata and the twins."

When Tenten found Hinata, the latter was busy herding her children away from the family room. "We have to wait," she told Hiashi and Hoshi. "Your cousins aren't here yet, and it's not fair for you to see everything Santa brought before they do." She noticed Tenten and looked up at her with a questioning arch to her brow.

"Kanae and Hizashi had a discussion earlier, apparently," Tenten said. She knelt across from Hinata, staring at the twins with an expression every bit as solemn as Kanae's had been just moments before. "They wondered if you would be willing to wait until after we eat breakfast to open presents." Reaching out, she squeezed Hoshi's right and Hiashi's left shoulders, trying her hardest to smile. "That'll give your papa a little more time to get here. Is that okay with you?"

Their eyes widened, and they exchanged one of the wordless communications that seemed to pass between twins. A quick mutual nod later, and then they both chorused, "That's okay."

Hinata shot Tenten a grateful look as she pulled the twins into her arms to hug them tightly. Tenten offered her cousin-in-law a quick nod, then went to find Neji and Hizashi and update them on the situation.

Once everybody was on the same page, she returned to the kitchen, where she redoubled her efforts to get breakfast done. Originally she'd been planning to let things cook slowly while they opened presents. But now Tenten turned up the heat on everything, hoping to speed things up at least a little. Hinata came in and offered to help, and Tenten let her. She could tell the other woman desperately needed_ something_ to occupy her mind.

A couple of times, Tenten caught sight of Hinata with her cell phone clutched to her ear, trying to call Gaara. But she always hung up with a disappointed expression; with each unanswered call, the concern she was trying not to show grew a little more apparent.

As Tenten pulled the fresh cinnamon rolls out of the oven, she hoped the only reason he wasn't answering was because his phone battery had died. It was the simplest and safest option, so she clung to it as she and Hinata carried dish after dish to the dining room. "Breakfast is ready!" she called. The kids ran into the room, all carefully contained excitement and anticipation. Neji followed, already looking worn out from keeping them occupied _away_ from the family room and presents.

In silent but unanimous agreement, none of them hurried through breakfast - even the kids. They all took their time and savored all the food Tenten and Hinata had fixed, from cinnamon rolls to french toast to Boston cremé rolls: and more besides. (She had gone a little overboard, perhaps, but she'd been nervous. And when she got nervous in a kitchen, she baked a _lot_ of sweets.)

When every last morsel of food they could eat had been consumed (still leaving a considerable amount of leftovers), they all looked at each other, then the still-empty seat next to Hinata.

"Dishes?" Kanae offered weakly.

"We'll help clean the table." The twins, though lacking enthusiasm, slid off their chairs and began accepting plates and saucers, which they precariously balanced in their small arms as they headed for the kitchen. Hizashi followed promptly with the silverware, which he held gingerly at arm's length with all the pointy parts turned down toward the floor.

Even in his disappointment he was responsible. It made Tenten's mother's heart proud. Though she liked playing with sharp and pointy things, she wasn't quite ready to see her children start showing the same dangerous proclivity.

The three adults trailed behind, carrying more dishes. Neji once again took over keeping everyone under four feet occupied while Tenten and Hinata slowly unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, then did what they needed to do toward preparing the holiday main meal. The sound of Christmas music floated in from the other room, followed by the untrained but sweet attempts by their children to sing along.

Konoha and Suna sat side-by-side in the doorway, watching the proceedings with yearning eyes. Tenten, who didn't particularly want to see either dog on a sugar high, refilled their food bowls and gave them yet another stern talking-to about the hazards of human food in a doggie stomach. Neither of them seemed particularly interested as they slunk over to their bowls and reluctantly munched on their vet-approved dog food.

At last they'd accomplished everything they feasibly could, leaving the two women staring at each other with nothing left to occupy their hands or minds.

"I _hate_ to start opening presents without him," Tenten said, biting her lower lip.

"But we _did_ promise the kids..." Hinata looked down at the dark screen of her phone. She clearly started to call again; then sighed and shook her head. "Might as well go ahead. It's not fair for them to have to keep waiting, when they've been looking forward to this so long."

Tenten and Hinata joined Neji and the kids in the basement, where Kanae played a video game, the twins checkers, and Neji helped Hizashi make his way through a Christmas themed picture book.

Forcing a bright smile onto her unwilling face, Tenten clapped her hands and asked, "Who's ready to open presents, hmm?"

Kanae paused her game; Hoshi stopped in the middle of picking up three of her brother's checkers; Hizashi closed the book on his lap and looked up. All four kids stared at Tenten as if she'd just grown another head.

"What about Papa?" Hoshi asked, her wide pale eyes filled with disappointment and vulnerability. "I don't want to open presents without him here." She shot her mother an uncertain look, then whispered, "Santa won't be offended, right?"

Tenten and Hinata traded a look, each swallowing back the combined laughter and tears threatening to overwhelm them. Hinata blinked rapidly, then shook her head and smiled tremulously. "No, baby, Santa won't be offended. But are you _sure_ you want to wait? Papa - well, he might not be here until much later tonight. Maybe even not till tomorrow."

Tears spilled down Hoshi's cheeks, and her brother came around the checkerboard so they could wrap their arms around each other. "Want to wait!" they wailed at the same time.

Hinata hurried to kneel next to her children and gather them into her arms. Neji cradled Hizashi close, looking helpless as his son cried because his cousins were. Tenten swallowed back the thick lump in her throat and looked at Kanae, who stared down at the remote control in her hand as she, too, tried not to cry.

Even the dogs, huddled together at the bottom of the stairs, whimpered. Konoha raised her head and whined the distinctive whistling teakettle sound she always made when she was unhappy. Suna followed suit with a sound only a couple of octaves lower.

Christmas was turning into a complete and unmitigated _disaster_. Most of the kids were crying, the dogs were crying, Hinata and Tenten were trying _not_ to cry, and poor Neji was beginning to look like he'd rather pull all his hair out by the roots than sit helplessly like a frozen deer in the headlights amongst the tearful bunch.

Abruptly, the dogs stopped whining and began to bark, their paws scrambling on the wooden stairs as they shot up them toward the first floor. Suna let out a long yowl, which Konoha promptly echoed as they vanished around the corner.

And then, past the sounds of the dogs and the still-whimpering kids, Tenten heard it.

_The doorbell!_

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><p>Hinata froze, wondering if she'd just imagined the doorbell ringing upstairs. But when the sound repeated, setting the dogs off again, she knew she really <em>had<em> heard it the first time.

Scrambling to her feet, she bolted for the stairs, taking them two at a time so she could get to the top faster. She nearly slipped as she rounded the corner at the top, but she regained her balance at the last moment and charged down the hall toward the entry. _Please be Gaara, please be Gaara, _please_ be Gaara..._

The dogs yielded to her at the door, tails wagging as they looked from her to the big wood-and-stained-glass barrier between them and the person on the other side. Hinata heard the others coming up the stairs behind her as she grabbed the doorknob and yanked; realizing it was locked, she chafed at the delay as she undid both the deadbolt and the lock on the doorknob with shaking hands.

Then she breathed a final prayer and jerked open the door.

For a moment all she saw was blinding white from the ridiculously high snowdrifts out in the yard. Hinata blinked hard, and as her eyes adjusted, they focused on the figure standing on the front porch.

She blinked again, just to make sure. The figure didn't disappear.

"_Gaara_!" His name left her lips on a rather undignified squeal, but Hinata didn't care. She launched herself out the door and into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck as her legs tightened around his waist. He caught her and cradled her against him, breathing her name into her neck as he held her close.

"Papa!" The twins barreled into the entryway and charged the door, each latching on to one of their father's legs. Thus burdened down, he shuffled his way into the house, face still partially buried in Hinata's neck.

She felt him shift, taking one arm from around her so he could wave. Hinata lifted her head and turned slightly to see a big county truck, its back load of salt half-empty, the plow on its front dirty and covered in snow. The white-haired driver rolled down his window and waved, a big grin on his face. "Merry Christmas!" he called out before putting his truck back in gear and pushing his way down the road, snow flying out on either side as he motored his way along.

"You're _here_!" The last word was slightly garbled when Gaara pressed his lips to hers in a lingering kiss, his arms tightening around her even further.

The twins made sounds of disgust and pulled their father's rolling suitcase into the house before slamming the front door shut. "Merry Christmas!" they shouted at the top of their lungs. "You're here you're here you're _here_!" They fell on him again as he finally set Hinata on her feet, though he kept an arm around her waist since she still felt a little unsteady and lightheaded from his kiss.

Gaara greeted Neji, Tenten, Kanae, and Hizashi, who had waited to cluster around him with their own welcoming hugs. Once he'd been thoroughly greeted, he was promptly ushered to the dining room. Though he protested he'd already had breakfast, Tenten fixed him a heaping plate and set it, and a big cup of steaming hot chocolate, on the table.

"What happened?" Hinata asked. She folded her hands into her lap to keep from throwing her arms around him again, just to make sure he was really there and she wasn't just dreaming. Instead she scooted her chair a little closer and pressed her leg against his under the table.

"I made good time up until I hit Colorado," Gaara said, taking a drink of his hot chocolate. He looked tired, but Hinata could tell from the tautness in his body he was far too wired to sleep. "The weather got worse incredibly fast. In some places it snowed so hard I could barely see a foot past the front of my rental. I'd just gotten past the halfway point when I hit a slick patch and wound up in a ditch." A grim expression flitted across his face.

"Why didn't you call?" Hinata poked her finger at his sweater pocket, where she knew he usually kept his phone.

Gaara made a face. "The battery died on me a long time ago. I didn't have my car charger with me, since I wasn't expecting to drive _that_ much on the trip. That'll teach me next time!" He shook his head. "So there I was, stuck on the side of the interstate with the nose of the car buried in a snowdrift nearly half again as tall as me, wondering how to get it out, when a county truck pulls up." He shook his head. "It was the weirdest thing. The driver took one look at the car and said, 'No way you're getting that out until the thaw. Where you headed?'"

Hinata bit her lip to keep from urging him to go on as he paused to take another sip of hot chocolate. She glanced at the other members of the family around the table, all staring at her husband with looks of wonder on their faces.

"When I told him I was heading to Denver for Christmas with my wife and kids and her family, and explained the whole situation, he told me to get in the truck. He radioed in that he was going on up the interstate, and if he got fired for it, so be it. So we've spent this entire time, from about three-thirty this morning, working our way through the mountains to get here. We got some breakfast at a truck stop which was _actually_ open - and packed - and then kept going." Gaara spun his cup around and around in his hands, green eyes focused on the steam rising from the top of his hot chocolate. "I invited Jiraiya in, but he said he needed to be getting back."

_Jiraiya_. Hinata wondered if there was any way to find him after the roads opened again so she could thank him in person for the amazing thing he'd done. "Incredible," she whispered.

Neji cleared his throat and arched an eyebrow. "Why didn't you call?" he asked. "Didn't the truck driver have a phone?"

Gaara shook his head. "He doesn't have a cell, if you can believe it. Says he's too old to deal with all that 'newfangled nonsense which doesn't even work half the time anyway.' And I was going to call from the truck stop, but the storm had knocked out the phone lines. None of the employees' cells were getting a signal, either, thanks to the storm."

Hinata could believe it. As hard and fast as the snow had been coming down, on top of everything they'd already gotten, it wasn't hard to accept phone lines and even a few cell towers were out of service. Her own signal had been spotty recently; even now her phone only had one bar. "You're here _now_," she said, giving in to the urge to rest her head on his shoulder. "And that's what matters."

Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I promised I'd be here," he said softly. "And I keep my promises."

They all adjourned to the family room, where the kids happily fell upon the presents under the tree at last. As the air filled with colorful flurries of torn paper and tossed bows, Hinata kept sneaking glances at Gaara, sitting next to her on the couch, his arm holding her close to his side. He'd _actually_ made it. As promised, he'd made his way two thirds of the way across the country, through a blizzard, to reach his family for Christmas.

After all the presents had been unwrapped and exclaimed over, Hinata squeezed Gaara's hand and cleared her throat. Seven pairs of eyes fell on her as silence blanketed the room, save for the soft sound of Christmas carols still playing on the radio in the corner. "I have one last present," she said, "but unfortunately, I couldn't wrap it. As a matter of fact, it won't even _be _here for several months."

Out of the corner of her eye, Hinata saw Tenten's eyes widen in comprehension, and the brunette clapped her hand over her mouth. The twins gave her puzzled looks, and came to lean against her knees as they demanded to know what the delay was, and why it couldn't be wrapped.

Turning to look into Gaara's dark-rimmed green eyes, she smiled and announced, "Merry Christmas, darling. I'm pregnant."

***~The End~***

_**Author's Ending Notes:**_ ...And on Valentine's Day, Tenten gets to share the happy news she's pregnant, too! I can hardly believe we're already to the end of this fic - I've had _so_ much fun sharing it with all of you. And I'm glad I got to deliver such a happy ending! Poor Gaara will probably sleep for a week after this, but he made it! And I really can see Jiraiya doing something like that - putting his job at risk to help someone get home for Christmas. He's one of my favorite characters in the series - I miss him. _Anyway_, on a happier note, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you, and thank you so much for reading my fic! I really hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did when I writing it!


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